by Sheela Rani Chunkath
"The formulation of drugs is carried out with the principle objective of enhancing their bioavailability. Poorly water soluble drugs are challenging for the formulation scientists with regard to solubility and bioavailability. Lipid-based drug delivery systems (LBDDS) are one of the emerging technologies designed to address such challenges. Encapsulating or solubilizing the drug in lipid excipients can lead to increased solubilization and absorption, resulting in enhanced bioavailability. Recent advances in these formulation technologies have led to the successful commercialization of lipid-based formulations."
The above quotation is from a recent research paper. Now let me describe the cell membrane to you. The cell membrane is one of the smallest living units within your cell and it is made up of a lipid bilayer. The lipid bilayer maintains the integrity of the cell; it is a barrier that keeps unnecessary substances out and only permits those that are needed into the cells. The cell membrane is impermeable to most water-soluble molecules. The centre of this bilayer contains almost no water and excludes molecules like sugars or salts that dissolve in water but not in oil or fats.
Now how do you think our Rishis and Vaidyars 5000 years ago learnt about this. I am in awe. Many of the classical ayurvedic formulations are made with ghee or ghrtam. They choose ghee as the vehicle of drug delivery because the drug would be delivered right into the interior of the cell. Healing would take place at the cell level. When we talk of ayurveda and yoga affecting the cell mediated immunity this is what we mean. Properly made ghee does not become rancid and so the shelf life of your drug is ensured.
So, we have this knowledge for 5000 years and we have scientists doing intense 'path-breaking' research and arriving at tentative conclusions that it is better to do drug delivery through fats.
I have young friends who say "But aunty, there is no proof!"; and I try telling them that what has stood the test of time for 5000 years is most probably quite effective. One should also remember that our Rishis had no crass commercial interests in formulating or recommending a drug.
Take Lipitor, a Statin drug manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. I would never take it to prevent a heart attack, lower cholesterol or for anything else. Because the cure is worse than the disease (or threat of disease). It is now widely believed that Statins increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, muscle disease, liver complications and kidney complications. A leading doctor in Chennai confirmed that it is true and he was quite disheartened by the crass commercial interests of drug companies which did not care about these aspects. Apparently the Chief Executive Officer of a giant pharma company was heard boasting that through his marketing strategy he would make every doctor prescribe his company’s statin drug to all patients. With doctors wanting to prescribe unnecessary drugs and hospitals wanting to perform unnecessary surgeries, I am hoping to steer clear of them. If you need to do that follow the dinacharya prescribed by ayurveda (refer earlier articles) and take precautions against accidents.
And when taking some of ayurveda's vile-tasting medicines such as guggula tikta ghrtam (a bitter ghee-based drug -- often given for severe headaches) take heart in the fact that it is being delivered right into your cell and healing it from inside.
--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/